Combined buffer and latch



April 19, 1932 A. J. KRUEGER COMBINED BUFFER AND- LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 D MWIIMUHUMHHIHUIHUHHHIIIII ...llll l l l I l I Il.. l l l l l l l l l l l l I l l l I ll n To. m @u mm m @N 0 r r 1. ||f .0. illlll|l||l|||||4l f N .Q mm

:fm/VEN Toe- A71. @Eer J KRL/safe@ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lT/`/\/ VENTO/ef- /QLEET J Mec/565e @y` M MM April 19, 1932, A. ,1. KRUEGER COMBINED BUFFER AND LATCHv Filed Aprilze, 1930 Patented Apr. 19, 17932 UNITED srfrss PATENT@` OFFICE j ALBERII zr. RRUEGER, OE CLEVELAND, OHIO, AssICNOR To CAMEL COMPANY, OE

' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OE ILLINOIS COMBINED BUEEER ANB LATCH' Application filed April 26,

This invention relates to a combined buffer and latch having special application to railway house car doors, but which obviously is'capable of use generally with any type of sliding door. Y Y

It has been found in practice, andV particularly in connection with the right hand doors of automobile cars of the type illustrated, that considerable damage has occured to the rear edge of the doors and especially tothe stationary doorposts associated therewith, because of the forceful and uncontrolled impact of these members in the closing movement of the doors. Such impact resulted in deformation of the coacting sealing strips on the posts and doors and in some instances tearing ofi' the post sealing strips and in breaking the posts. A similar condition eX- Y ists in connection with the rear edge of these doors and associated door stops in the opening movement of the doors.

It is an obj ect of this invention to provide means simple in construction, strong and simple in operation, whereby the foregoingA diiiculties may be obviated.

A further object is the provision of a device which will avoid impact between a door andits associated door post and which is p capable Oflatching the door to maintain it in the desired position. f

An object, also, isthe provision of a device functioning as a buffer for a cardoor and as a latch to secure the door before reaching full closed or full open position.

It is an object, moreover, to provide such a device which will be self-cleaning and, therefore, require no attention or upkeep.

Further objects and advantages will be j come apparent from the description ofthe invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which, Y f

Figure 1 is afragmentary elevation show- 451 ing the invention applied, to one of a pair of doors mounted on a railway house car. v Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1. ,y

Figure 3 is any enlarged elevation of the 5U combined buffer and latch and showing frag- 1930. Serial No. 447,459.

mentary secured. v Y

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of VFigure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates in its entirety a railway house car provided with a door opening 11. The door opening is defined, in part, by means of stationary door posts 12 and 13. A pair of doors 14 and 15 are provided to close said opening. The door 14 is shown as, preferably, provided with a movable post 16, which carries a removable cooperating strip 17. A sealing strip 18 is shown secured to the movable post and provides in combination with said post, a recess for the reception of the front edge of the door` 15. Sealing strips 19 and 20, respectively, are provided on the rear edges of the'doors and are adapted for sealing coaction with corresponding sealing strips 21 and 22, respectively, provided on stationary posts 12 and 13.V A track 23 is positioned adjacent the bottoni of the door open- 75 ing and supports the doors for rolling movement throughthe medium of hangers 24-24 secured to the doors adjacent their lower corners. starting-and closing mechanism is indicated as a whole at 25 and latching means 80 for securing the meeting edges of the doors is shown at 26. Track brackets 27, disclosed in Figure 4 ofthe drawings, are employed to secure the track 23 to the car sills (not shown). v 85 The buffer and latch of the invention is denoted as a whole by the numeral 28 and comprises a housing 29, preferably in the form of a casting, secured to and carried by the door 15. A bolt 30 is provided in the housing and is adapted to be operated by means of a bent-Over portion 31 serving as a handle. The forwardly positioned wall 32 of the housing carries a rearwardly extending lug 33. This lug projects into arecess 34 provided in the adjacent face of the bolt portions of the parts to which it is 30. The recess as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings forms upper and lower shoulders 35 and `3o respectively, adapted'for respective engagement with the lug 33 in order to Vobvious that its use on the left hand door may be accomplished as readily as on the right hand door.

Keepers 37 and 3 are riveted or secured in any desired manner to the track 23. The keeper 37 is adapted for coaction with the bolt 30 when the door is moved to closed position, whereas the keeper 37 is adapted for coaction with said bolt when the door 1s moved to open position. An opening 38- is provided in the keepervin order to receive the lower portion of the bolt when the latter is in its home position. A downwardly inclined portion 39 leads from the right of sai-d opening and adjacent thereto and to the left of the opening an abutment portion 40 is provided, extending at a higher elevation than the inclined portion 39. Leading from said abutment portion is a downwardly inclined portion 41. The opening 38 is provided with a hole 42 so that any foreign matter which may find its way into said opening will automatically be drained therefrom.

The keeper 37 is secured to the track 23 in such a position that the bolt 30 will assume its home position in the keeper 39 before the door reaches its fully closed position and, consequently, before impact can occur between the sealing strips at the rear edge of the vdoor and on the post. For this position of the bolt in the keeper the position of the door is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawings. The showing clearly indicates that contact has not yet been made between the rear edge door sealing strip and the sealing strip on the post. In a similar manner the keeper 37 is secured to the track so that the bolt 30 will assume its home position thereon before impact between the rear edge of the door and door stops (not shown) secured to the car, canoccur.

It is believed, from the foregoing, that the operation of the combined buer and latch will be evident. Assuming-that the door is in full open position and it is desired to close the door, the door will be moved toward the left as viewed in Figure 1. As it nears fully closed position the bolt 30 will engage the inclined portion 39 of the keeper 37 whereupon said bolt will be raised and will ride up said inclined portion. In the event-that the door has acquired a great momentum the bolt will contact with the abutment 40 whereby forward movement thereof will be retarded and the door will recoil slightly. However, in view of the fact that the opening or bolt receiving portion 38 of the keeper extends sufficiently below the inclined portion 39 the bolt, after such recoil, will drop into said opening. It is noted that the impact between the bolt 30 and the abutment 40 occurs before the door has reached its full closed position and before contact is made between the sealing strips on the rear edge of the door and on the door post. The door, consequently, is stopped in its closing movement and at the same time is latched in partly open position against further movement in either direction. To latch the two doors together it is necessary then to retract the bolt 30 from the keeper and complete the closing movement of the door. When the door is fully closed the bolt will rest upon the keeper in retracted position.

Numerous changes in the details of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such changes, however, are deemed to be comprehended within the invention, which is not to be limited except as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim: Y

l. In a combined buffer and latch, in combination, a housing, a bolt retained for vertical movement in said housing, said housing being provided with a lug, said bolt having a recess adjacent said lug, said recess providing upper and lower shoulders adapted to coact with said lug to limit the vertical movement of the bolt, and a keeper, said keeper including an opening therein for engagement with said bolt when the latter is in home position, upwardly inclined portions on opposite sides of said opening, the ends of said inclined portions being at difference elevations whereby an abutment is provided on one side of said opening.

2. In a combined buer and latch, in combination, ahousing, a bolt therefor and a keeper, said keeper comprising a bolt receiving portion, an abutment and an upwardly inclined portion, said abutment and said inclined portion being positioned on opposite sides of said bolt receiving portion and said abutment member extending upwardly relative to said inclined portion.

3. The combination, with a horizontally sliding closuremember, of a combined buffer and latch therefor comprising, a housing secured to said member and movable therewith, a bolt in said housing and a keeper, said keeper being fixed relative to said closure and housing and including a bolt receiving portion and an abutment adjacent thereto and being so positioned that engagement between said bolt and the abutment may be effected before the member reaches full closed position.

4. The combination, with'a horizontally sliding closure member, of a combined buffer and latch therefor comprising, a housing secured to said member and movable therewith, a bolt in said housing and a keeper, said keeper being fixed relative to said closure and housing and including a bolt receiving portion and an abutment adjacent thereto and being sopositioned that engagement between said bolt and the abutment may be effected before the member reaches full closed position, said bolt receiving portion being adapted to receive and retain said bolt after engagement with said abutment whereby movement of said closure in either direction is prevented. Y

5. The combination, with a horizontally sliding closure member, of a combined buffer and latch therefor comprising, a housing secured to said member and movable therewith, a bolt in said housing and a keeper, Vsaid keeper being iiXed relative to said closure and housing and including a bolt receiving portion and an abutment adjacent thereto and being so positioned that engagement between said bolt and the abutment may be effected before the member reaches full closed position, said bolt receiving portion being adapted to receive and retain said bolt after engagement with said abutment whereby movement of said closure in either direction is prevented, said bolt being adapted to be retracted to clear said abutment and said closure moved to full closed position whereby the bolt is supported upon the keeper in retracted position.

Signed at Cleveland, Ohio, this 14th day of April, 1930.

ALBERT J. KRUEGER. 

